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<title>Of All The Gin Joints by Small_Hobbit</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23399494">Of All The Gin Joints</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit'>Small_Hobbit</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanditon (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:48:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23399494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the mid-1960s and Sidney Parker is running a very successful bar.  Everything is going well until someone he knew three years before comes in.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Charlotte Heywood/James Stringer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Of All The Gin Joints</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for DW's Ficletzone, Fall out boys title Challenge: using In all the gin joints in all the world</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sidney Parker stared at the couple who had just walked into his bar.  It had been three years since he had last seen them, although at that point Charlotte Heywood and James Stringer had not been a couple, and now it seemed they most definitely were.  He watched as Stringer found them a table and waited while Charlotte sat down before going up to order their drinks.</p>
<p>A voice at his side calling his name distracted him, and he found a member of the staff wanting to know whether it would be all right to extend the credit of one of their customers when he was overdue with his previous month’s bill.  Sidney shook his head and then went over to personally explain to the man that, if he wanted to purchase a drink, he would have to pay cash.</p>
<p>“I shall go elsewhere,” the man said angrily.</p>
<p>“That is your prerogative,” Sidney replied.</p>
<p>“I never had this problem when I went to your brother’s bar.”</p>
<p>“But I am not my brother.”</p>
<p>The irate customer departed, taking a few of his cronies with him.  Sidney wasn’t unduly worried; the bar was busy enough the loss of a few bad payers wouldn’t make much of a dent in his profits.  And it didn’t hurt if his regulars understood the need for them to pay their monthly bills on time.  Tom had had cashflow problems before the fire had destroyed his under-insured bar and Sidney was determined not to repeat his brother’s mistakes.</p>
<p>Sidney turned back to look at Charlotte again.  He saw her speaking to Arthur, who was seated at the piano.  Sidney walked over to join them.</p>
<p>“Hello, Sidney,” Charlotte said.  “I hadn’t realised you owned this bar.”</p>
<p>Sidney resisted quoting from Casablanca, and instead said, “Yes, I’ve had it for just over two years now.”</p>
<p>“I was asking Arthur if he would play <em>Moon River</em>.”</p>
<p>Arthur turned to Sidney, who shrugged.  It was the last song he and Charlotte had danced to before everything, as far as Sidney was concerned, had gone wrong.  Slowly, Sidney nodded.</p>
<p>“You remember, James, don’t you?” Charlotte continued.  “Why don’t you come and have a drink with us, unless you don’t drink when you’re working.”</p>
<p>Sidney noted the way Charlotte was unconsciously twisting her wedding ring.</p>
<p>“In your case, I’ll make an exception.”  Sidney indicated to one of the staff to bring over a wine glass and followed Charlotte to her table.</p>
<p>“How long have you been married?” he asked politely.</p>
<p>“Twenty-one months,” Charlotte replied.  She looked at James and bit her lip before saying, “We’re not really telling anyone yet, but I’m so excited.  I’m expecting a baby at the end of the year.”</p>
<p>“Congratulations!  To both of you.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” James said with a smile.</p>
<p>Sidney raised his glass of wine in a toast.  “To Mr and Mrs Stringer, and the future baby Stringer.”  He took a long drink and added, “And now, I’m afraid I shall have to return to work.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Charlotte said.  “We were recommended to come here, and it does seem very popular.  It was lovely to see you again, Sidney.”</p>
<p>He smiled and then hurried away.  He deliberately kept himself busy for the rest of the evening.  Then, once he had locked up for the night, he grabbed a bottle of whisky and headed upstairs to the flat he shared with Arthur.  Much to his surprise, he found Arthur awake and sitting on the sofa.</p>
<p>“I was expecting you to have gone to bed,” Sidney said.</p>
<p>“And I was expecting you to be planning to get very drunk,” Arthur replied, indicating the whisky.</p>
<p>“Yes, well …”</p>
<p>Arthur removed the bottle from his brother’s hands.  “I’ll pour us a glass, and maybe you a second glass, and then the bottle will be coming with me.”</p>
<p>“Don’t you trust me?”</p>
<p>“No.  Are you surprised?  You meet the woman you had planned to marry, and find she’s married to the man you considered, at the time, to be your rival.  I know what your reaction will be.”</p>
<p>“She’s pregnant.”</p>
<p>“Even more so then.”</p>
<p>“And you know what’s the worse of it?”</p>
<p>“Tell me!”</p>
<p>“They’ve been married less than two years.  If I’d gone back to her after that six months I spent with Eliza trying to resurrect Tom’s bar, then she could be expecting my child, not Stringer’s.”</p>
<p>Arthur looked straight at him but didn’t pass any comment. </p>
<p>“Aren’t you going to say something?” Sidney demanded.</p>
<p>“What do you want me to say?”</p>
<p>“You could at least be a little sympathetic towards me.”</p>
<p>Arthur stood up and poured some more whisky into Sidney’s glass before saying, “If you want sympathy then turn to Mary or Diana.  You know what I think.  You made your choices and have to accept the consequences.  Now, I’m going to bed.  And I suggest you do too.  It’s Ricky’s day off tomorrow, so you’ll have to cover lunchtime.  Good night.”</p>
<p>As Arthur closed the door, Sidney felt like throwing his glass after him.  But that would have been a waste of whisky, so he drained the glass first, by which time his anger at Arthur’s words had cooled slightly.  He was still upset at seeing Charlotte again and wanted to collapse on the sofa and rail at the world, but reluctantly he decided to go to bed.  Arthur was right, he would need to get up in the morning, and Sidney knew better than to expect any sympathy from his brother if he’d stayed awake all night.</p>
<p> </p>
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